Beaten by the better men on the night.
Sometimes you have to hold up your hands metaphorically and concede defeat and that was the case with Glenn Foot and Lewis Ritson at the Metro Radio Arena.
Foot lost his light-welterweight double title showdown with Robbie Davies Jnr to a unanimous points verdict, while Ritson was beaten by Francesca Patera on a split decision in their battle for the vacant European lightweight championship.
Neither home boxer could have any quibbles, both opponents deserved their triumphs.
Sunderland favourite Foot got off to a decent enough start, but Davies proved an awkward and clever southpaw, who the Commonwealth champion just could not pin down.
Two judge had rather lopsided scorelines for the Liverpool fighter, at 109-109 (Steve Gray) and 118-110 (Howard Foster) with Mike Alexander’s 117-112 being more realistic.
For the first time in his meteoric career, Ritson had to go 12 rounds, where he was outboxed by former European champion Patera, who regained the belt he lost last December.
The Belgian refused to go the way of the opponents who were toppled in a series of rapid British title defences and used both hands to good effect.
Danish judge Soren Saugmann scored it 116-112 to Ritson but Switzerland’s Beat Hausammann and Anssi Perajoki, from Finland, marked it 116-112 to Patera (pictured).
Your punch-lines reporter had it to Patera by only a point, but several rounds were hard to score and could have gone either way.
Neither Ritson nor Foot have anything to be sorry for, both gave it absolutely everything.
Simon Vallily also suffered an away defeat, the Middlesbrough cruiser stopped at one minute, six seconds of round eight by Liverpool KO specialist Craig Glover.
Elsewhere, it was a good night for the North-East.
Spennymoor’s Chad Ellis opened the show by outpointing Bulgaria’s Angel Emilov, 39-38.
And Chad’s MTK team-mate, Bedlington’s Darren Reay, closed the Matchroom event just before midnight with the first-round stoppage of another Bulgarian, Samuil Dimitrov.
Tommy Ward was not messing about, decking Germany’s Tom Tran twice in the opening three minutes, with referee Ron Kearney waving it off at two minutes, 13 seconds.
‘Benwell Bomber’ Joe Laws wowed the sell-out crowd with a fourth-round stoppage of game-as-they-come Brummie Chris Truman.
Wallsend’s Terence Wilkinson was also in a cracker, outpointing battling visitor Chris Adaway (Plymouth) 40-35.
Newcastle’s Lawrence Osueke added a good scalp to his record in the form of ex-Commonwealth champ, Charles Adamu. Mr Kearney scored it 60-54.
2016 Olympic medalist Joshua Buatsi, popular Yorkshire heavyweight Dave Allen, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist John Docherty and Manchester light-heavy Hosea Burton all won with first-round stoppages.
Words: Roy Kelly Pictures: Jennifer Charlton
